Ronald McDonald House - Thank You Very Much SI

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Ronald McDonald House and Harcourts Say “Thank You Very Much” To South Islanders For Record Fundraiser

“Thank you very much” was the elated response at the 6pm closing last night of The Harcourts House Party, a four-hour long ‘telethon-style’ live telecast which saw thousands of South Islanders respond generously to a massive fundraising appeal for Ronald McDonald House South Island. Although the final figure is still being calculated, organisers are confident it will be close to the half a million dollar goal.

The combination live auction and television extravaganza screened across the South Island 2-6pm yesterday. Of the items donated by South Island businesses for the event, 220 went live on auction website, www.trademe.co.nz Sunday 4 September and raised over $71,000. Another close to $6,000 was raised through phone donations and bidding for six items auctioned live throughout the show.

However, the ultimate fundraising item was the newly completed Harcourts Horncastle Home for Ronald McDonald House. Built by Horncastle Homes at their Gilberthorpes subdivision in Christchurch and fully furnished by local businesses it achieved $376,000 under the hammer with the auction skills of New Zealand’s Number One Auctioneer, Roger Dawson of Harcourts Christchurch City who later this month will represent New Zealand at the Australasian Auction Championships.

Hosted by renowned personality Jason Gunn The Harcourts House Party included live performances from entertainers such as Ray Columbus, Yulia, Chris Cairns, Mark Hadlow, John Grenell, Olly Ohlsson, McPhail & Gadsby, and many more.

Harcourts Business Development Manager Jim Davis said every one of Harcourts’ over 40 South Island offices had responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to get involved when the idea was put to them in April this year. “Every day we work with families in our communities and we feel privileged to have been involved with Ronald McDonald House South Island which makes such a huge difference to families with sick children by providing free accommodation and support. He added, “As well as supporting The Harcourts House Party, some of our offices organised extra fundraising activities such as Harcourts Nelson raising over $12,000 through a community quiz night.”
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Ronald McDonald House and Harcourts Say “Thank You Very Much” To South Islanders For Record Fundraiser cont…

Stuart Leck, Chair of Ronald McDonald House South Island said that the funds raised would clear the House’s mortgage leaving the Trustees free to look at any future needs. “As a Board we took a leap of faith in opening a charitably funded facility with a mortgage, but we will now clear that commitment only two and half years after opening. We are truly humbled by the level of support we’ve received and sincerely thank everyone involved in The Harcourts House Party for helping us achieve this milestone so quickly.”

Brent Goldsmid of The Rotary Club of Christchurch Sunrise who put the massive fundraising event together said they were thrilled with the response which was the culmination of more than a year’s work. “We knew we were part of a great community, but they’ve outdone themselves this time. This result exceeds our wildest dreams and just goes to show the depth of caring here in the South Island.”

He added, “While some expenses are yet to be deducted from the total the majority of the events costs had already been covered by the sponsorship of Harcourts South Island. We extend our sincerest thanks to everyone involved and in particular to the event sponsors: Harcourts South Island, Horncastle Homes, CTV, Telecom, The Press, Classic Hits, Newstalk ZB, and Novo Brand Management, and Rotary Clubs throughout the South Island.”

Naming Rights Sponsor:
Harcourts South Island

Principal Sponsors:
CTV; The Press; Newstalk ZB; Classic Hits; Novo; Telecom; Horncastle Homes

Other Major Contributors:
Horncastle Homes

A Rotary Club of Christchurch Sunrise Event.

Background

Ronald McDonald House South Island is a home-away-from-home for families of seriously ill children under the age of 20 who are transferred from all over the South Island to Christchurch for medical treatment. More than 16,700 nights of accommodation have been provided free of charge, to more than 450 families on over 900 separate visits since the House opened in March 2003: Nelson/Marlborough DHB 17%; Otago DHB 13%; South Canterbury DHB 17%; Southland DHB 22%; West Coast DHB 18%; Canterbury DHB 7%; Other 5%.

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